In revert to Twitter
after it expressed concern over the potential threat ‘intermediary guidelines’
could cause to “freedom of expression” and “core elements”, the Indian government
has told the micro-blogging site to “stop beating around the bush and comply with
the laws of the land.”
The GoI has further suggested Twitter to do not “dictate terms” to the world’s largest democracy.
"Twitter needs to stop beating around the bush and comply with the laws of the land. Lawmaking and policy formulations is the sole prerogative of the sovereign and Twitter is just a social media platform and it has no locus in dictating what India's legal policy framework should be," read the letter of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to Twitter.
Denouncing Twitter’s statements, the Ministry called it “totally baseless, false and an attempt to defame India.”
Also Read: No more free speech in India? Twitter fazed by “intimidation tactics”
Over the Twitter’s concern on freedom of speech, the Ministry asserted, “India has a glorious tradition of free speech and democratic practices dating back centuries
"Protecting free speech in India is not the prerogative of only a private, for-profit, foreign entity like Twitter, but it is the commitment of the world's largest democracy and its robust institutions,” it added.
The government further added that Twitter is trying to undermine India’s legal system by its actions and deliberate defiance.
"The government of India respects the right of people to ask questions and also criticize these social media platforms including on Twitter. The government equally respects the right to privacy. However, the only instance of scuttling free speech on Twitter is Twitter itself and its opaque policies, as a result of which people's accounts are suspended and tweets deleted arbitrarily without recourse," said the ministry.
Also Read: WhatsApp drags Indian Govt to court for rules hitting privacy, tracing first originator
Earlier today, Twitter had said it would "strive to comply with applicable law." However, it would ask for changes to "elements that inhibit free, open conversation.